Terminal block connector assembly



Feb. 16, 1960 CETRAN ETAL TERMINAL BLOCK CONNECTOR ASSEMBLY Filed. June10, 1958 INVENTOR R "+32" LO CE Y 5' MAJ ATTORNEYS v United StatesPatent TERMINAL BLOCK CONNECTOR ASSEMBLY Louis Cetran, Hartford, andRonald H. Arthur, West Hartford, Conn., assignors to Royal-McBeeCorporation, Port Chester, N.Y., a corporation of New York ApplicationJune 10, 1958, Serial No. 741,095

4 Claims. (Cl. 339-198) This invention relates to terminal connectorassemblies; more particularly it relates to a terminal connectorassembly having a socket mounting block formed to securely hold aplurality of double ended female terminal sockets.

In complex electrical systems it is necessary to provide means forconnecting each of several different system operating potentials tonumerous points in the system. As space and cost are primeconsiderations in such systems it is desirable that the connecting meansbe small, compact, and economical to fabricate and use. It is alsodesirable that such connecting means be capable of being tailored toenable the connection of any number of conductors as required by thesystem to common system supply terminals.

The above desirable features are realized in the present invention inthe provision of a socket mounting block adapted to receive and securelyhold a plurality of double ended female terminal sockets. The pluralityof double ended female terminal sockets are made from a contin uousstrip of conductive material and formed with portions complementary tothe mounting block and with a common portion which may be cut whereverdesired in accordance with the requirements of the system. A feature ofthe invention resides in the fact that the complementary block andterminal sockets enable the sockets to be locked within the blockwithout resort to outsidelocking means.

A principal object of the invention therefore is the provision of asmall, compact and economical terminal connector assembly.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a terminal connectorassembly adapted to be tailored to fit the requirements of a particularsystem.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a terminalconnector block that will hold a plurality of double ended femaleterminal sockets without using any outside means for locking saidsockets within said block.

Other objects and many of the attendant advantages of this inventionwill be readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood byreference to the following detailed description when considered inconnection with the accompanying drawings in which like reference nu--merals designate like parts throughout the figures thereof and wherein:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view with sections broken away of anelectrical terminal connector mounting block constructed in accordancewith the invention and showing double ended wire terminal socketsassociated therewith;

Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view taken along lines 2-2 of Fig. l; and

Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view taken along lines 3-3 of Fig. 1 withone socket locked in.

Referring now to the drawings wherein like reference charactersrepresent like or corresponding parts throughout and wherein is shown apreferred .embodiment there is shown in Fig. 1 a rigid rectangular blockformed from insulating material having a low coefficient of, expansionover wide temperature ranges. One satisfactory material in thisclassification is Bakelite; it being understood that other of suchmaterials will be suggested to those skilled in the art.

As seen in the figures a central portion 11 of the rectangular block 10is formed with a series of alternate lands 12 and valleys 13 along thelong dimension of the block. The block 10 is also formed with aplurality of elongated semi cylindrical holes 14 extending through theblock transverse to the long dimension thereof. As is apparent fromFigs. 2 and 3 the semicylindrical portion of the holes coincide with thebottom curvature of the valleys 13. The upper surface of each hole isformed wtih a downwardly projecting rib 15 thereby forming two grooves16 to either side thereof.

Referring to Fig. 1 there are shown double ended female terminalsockets, generally designated by reference character 17, adapted to beinserted into the transverse holes 14 in the block. The terminal socketsas will be understood are formed from conductive material such as copperor the like which is cut and formed by suitable dies into a plurality oftubular sockets; the outer diameters of which as seen most clearly inFig. 3 approximate the diametral dimension between the surface of thedownwardly projecting ribs 15 and the bottom surface of the holes. Thecentral portion 18 of the tubular sockets are cut and bent duringforming whereby a pair of locking tabs 19 are formed. As is apparentfrom Fig. 1 all the tubular sockets have tail portions 20 integraltherewith which are bent away from their associated tubular sockets andjoined to a common portion 21. The common portionis bent between tubularsockets to enable the sockets to be spaced properly for insertion of allthe sockets simultaneously into the holes 14.

Referring to Fig. 3 it will be apparent that the lock- I ing tabs 19 onthe tubular sockets will pass through the grooves 16 on either side ofthe downwardly depending ribs 15 and that when the sockets are fullyinserted, the locking tabs may be bent over against the sloping valleysbetween shoulders 25 formed by walls 11 thereby looking the socketswithin the block 10.

As will be understood tapered male terminals inserted into the doubleended sockets will spread the tubular sockets due to the open slit 22therein and be held securely by the tension created by the spreadingaction. As is apparent where several difierent system operatingpotentials are to be distributed to various points in the system thecommon portion of the sockets may be cut wherever desired depending onthe number of feeder lines required to be energized by an associatedsource potential. For example if four points in a system requiredconnection to a volt source and three points in the system requiredconnection to a 17.5 volt source the common portion 21 of the tubularsocket strip would be cut isolating 4 and 3 double ended tubular socketswhereby the 100 volt terminal inserted in one of the four sockets onside 23 would energize four feeder terminals inserted in thecorresponding four sockets on the opposide side 24. Similarly one 17.5volt terminal inserted in one of the three sockets on side 23 wouldenergize three feeder terminals inserted in the corresponding threesockets on the opposite side 24. As will be understood the lands 12between sockets insulate one socket from another.

It should be understood, that the foregoing disclosure relates to only apreferred embodiment of the invention and that it is intended to coverall changes and modifications of the example of the invention hereinchosen for the purposes of the disclosure, which do not constitutedepartures from the spirit and scope of the invention.

The invention claimed is; y.

l. A terminal connector construction comprising a block of insulatingmaterial having a central portion along its long dimension formed withalternate lands and valleys, a plurality of boresin said: blocktransverse to said long dimension, each having a portion of its wallsurface coincident with the bottom surface of one of said valleys, saidvalley walls forming with thebore walls pairs of inwardly facingshoulders, and substantially cylindrical wire terminal sockets in saidbores, said sockets having tabs bent'against the walls of said valleysbetween said shoulders whereby said sockets are securely locked withinsaid block. I

2. A terminal connector construction comprising a rectangular block ofinsulating material having a central portion along its long dimensionformed with alternate lands and sloping valleys, said block havingsubstantially U-shaped bores therein transverse to said long dimension,each of said bores having a portionof its wall. surface coincident withthe floor of one of said valleys, vsubstantially cylindrical wireterminal sockets, said sockets being formed with upstanding tabsintermediate their ends, the leg wall portions ofsaid U-shaped boresforming acute angles withthe sloping sides of said valleys wherebypairsv of inwardly facing shoulders are. formed; and whereby afterinsertion of said sockets in saidiholes said tabs may be bent towardthesides of said sloping valleys between said shoulders therebypreventing removal of said sockets.

3. A terminal block assembly comprising a blockof insulating materialhaving a plurality of parallelvlaterally spaced bores formedtherethrough with their axes disposed substantially normal tothelongitudinalaxis. of said block, said block also having a pluralityofaltemate lands and valleys formed centrally of its long dimension, 3

the lower portions of said valley walls coinciding with said bore walls,and the upper portions divergingthereminal sockets detachably locked ineach of said bores, said sockets each having a pair of upstanding tabswhich in the preassembled position are slidably engageable with thewalls forming associated bores and which in the assembled position arelaterally bent off into the undercut portion of associated bores betweensaid shoulders, the engagement of said tabs and shoulders therebypreventing withdrawal of said sockets from associated bores.

4. The combination of a rectangular-block of insulating material havinga central portion along its long dimension formed with a plurality ofalternate lands and valleys and a plurality of transverse holesextending from the sides of said block to the valleys in said centralportion, the lower portions of said valley walls coinciding with thewalls of said holes and the upper portions of said valley wallsdiverging, therefrom thereby forming opposed pairs of. inwardly facingshoulders, andidouble ended female terminal sockets in said holes, saidsockets having upstanding tab portions adapted to be bent towardthetsloping sides ofisaid valleys between said shoulders thereby toprevent removal of said sockets, said sockets being formed withlongitudinal slits therein whereby they may flex upon insertion of wireterminals therein, each of said sockets being joined at one end to acommon portion adapted to be cut wherever desired.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,441,393 Buchanan et a1. May 11, 1948 2,463,826 Thacker Mar. 8, 1949FOREIGN PATENTS 789,695 Great Britain Jan. 29, 1958

